Golden Sun, Garden State
by Father Hulk
Summary: There are really six lighthouses to be lit, the remaining two are at Cape May and Point Pleasant in New Jersey! So the cast of GS decides to spend the day in NJ, taking in the sights and then fulfilling their destiny! BIG AU! RR PLZ!
1. The Story Opens

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Golden Sun, Garden State

A humor-fic by Father Hulk

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Author's Words: Greetings, greetings my dear children! Father Hulk is bringing you a heaping helping of laughs and lunacy! I'm writing this one clear out of the blue on pure whimsy, as the idea came to me like 5 minutes ago. Please review! Good reviews give our God incredible power! Bad reviews will be noshed on with bagels and lox. Enjoy!

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SPECIAL NOTE: For the first part, I'm winging it because I have never played Golden Sun: The Lost Age, so I don't know what happens at the Mars Lighthouse. Sorry! V_V

"Isaac, will you do the honors?" Felix asked, extending his palm with the Mars Elemental Star on it.

"Certainly." Isaac took the star, and while his seven companions watched nervously, he tossed it into the center of the Mars Lighthouse. The lighthouse rumbled softly for a bit, and then stopped.

"What's happening?" Garet asked. "Why didn't the beacon light?"

"I don't know." Isaac got on his knees and peered over into the pit. All at once, the huge spherical beacon shot straight up out of the pit, hitting Isaac in the chin and knocking him backwards. "OW, FRICK!" he cried, rubbing his charred face. He noticed the others laughing at him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Isaac," said Mia, helping him to his feet. "Here, I will heal you." She cupped her hands around his chin. Isaac got all dreamy eyed, and then the scars vanished. "All better!"

Isaac grinned. Although he wasn't ready to admit it, he was deeply in love with Mia.

"Okay, the beacon's lit," Jenna said. "Now what?"

"According to legend, the sky will flash with lightning and thunder as the seal upon Alchemy lifts completely," said Sheba.

"Well I don't see the sky flashing," Jenna complained. "Don't tell me we did all this for nothing!"

"Umm, uhh…" came a frustrated mumbling. Everyone turned to see Kraden fiddling with his robes nervously.

"What's wrong, Kraden?" Ivan asked.

Kraden looked at the sky. "Well… it seems to be that… …"

"It seems to be WHAT?" cried Piers. "It's getting cold up here!"

"Well… er… I split the Jupiter star and the Mercury star into two parts back in Sol Sanctum."

"WHAT??" everyone cried. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, Saturos and Menardi didn't know it, but there are actually six lighthouses, not four."

"Are you serious?" Isaac asked.

"Of course I'm serious! There are two lighthouses that remain to be lit."

"But Kraden, we've been all over Weyard. There's nowhere left to explore. Where could these lighthouses be?"

Kraden nodded solemnly. "They are in a country on the other side of the world, called the United States."

"That's a weird name for a country." Ivan mused. "They must be new."

"No, actually, they've been around for over 200 years!"

"Do they know about Psynergy there?" Sheba asked.

"No, I don't think they do. But it's such an odd country. They are broken up into fifty different states, and each one has their own government and so on. Anyway, the state we have to go to is called New Jersey."

"I wonder what happened to Old Jersey?" Garet cracked. Isaac laughed and snorted.

"Ha! You snorted." Sheba said with a playful leer.

"So what are we waiting for?" Piers said crossly. "Let's go to this New Jersey now!"

"All right!" said everyone else, and they all left the lighthouse.

*********************************************************

The jet plane landed at Newark Airport at 12:00 pm, and all 8 party members disembarked and headed through the terminal.

"Now remember what I told you to say," Kraden cautioned them. They nodded.

"Halt," said the uniformed guard, "I'll need to check your bags." He took their travel bags and put them through the x-ray. "Good God!" he cried, as the x-ray machine revealed their swords, shields, maces, and magic staffs. "Do you care to explain all this?"

"We're going to a trade show," Piers said. "At the walkboard." Ivan elbowed him sharply. "I mean, the boardwalk. We are putting these fake weapons on display."

"They were used in the play, McDonalds." An elbow from Jenna. "I mean, MacBeth!"

The guard nodded. "Fine. But I'll need to feel you up." Everyone stared at him. "I mean, pat you down." The guard carefully made sure they weren't hiding anything in their clothes, taking an extra long time with Mia and Jenna. Finally, he let them through.

Once they were outside the airport, Kraden unfolded the big map. "Now, the second Jupiter lighthouse is here, at the tip of Cape May. The second Mercury lighthouse is down here, at Point Pleasant. I think we should split up."

"That's a good idea." agreed Garet.

"Isaac, you go with Mia, Ivan, and Felix to the Jupiter lighthouse. I'll go with Jenna, Sheba, and Garet to the Mercury lighthouse."

"What about me?" Piers asked.

"You have a special assignment. There's a wind adept living in the small town of Ellendun who is quite knowledgeable about the Cape May Jupiter lighthouse. I need you to go and get him. Here's some train fare." Kraden passed him some money.

Piers grumbled. "As you wish, Master Kraden."

"Now, there's nobody after us this time, so take your time, enjoy the sights, have a good time! Kick your heels up a bit. But make sure you make it to those lighthouses."

"Yes, Kraden," they all said.

"Now, let's be off, shall we?"


	2. The Basketball Game and The Movie

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CHAPTER 2

The Basketball Game and The Movies

Isaac and his group began walking up the Newark city streets. "So what should we do first?" Isaac asked.

"I think we should go see that romantic movie, _Two Hearts on a Velvet Couch._" Mia said.

"It says here on this billboard that a basketball team called the New Jersey Nets is having a game today." Felix observed.

"Hey, I like sports!" Ivan said.

"Me too!" Isaac agreed. "We go to the basketball game!"

"No, no, no!" Mia declared, and she stopped and crossed her arms. "I don't want to go watch a bunch of smelly guys running around tossing a ball to each other! It's out of the question!"

"But Mia, it's the New Jersey Nets!"

Mia stood her ground. "The answer is no."

Felix rolled his eyes. "If you'll come to the game with us, then we'll all go see that movie with you. How would that be?"

Mia considered it for a moment. "Well… okay then." Isaac, Felix, and Ivan cheered. They hurriedly set out for the arena, when suddenly, they were attacked!

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Newark criminal 1 appears!

Newark criminal 2 appears!

Newark criminal 3 appears!

The group looked at their attackers, and then at each other. "What do we do?" Isaac asked. "Should we use Psynergy?" But before they could make any decisions, the following happened:

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Newark criminal 1 and Newark criminal 2 hold Isaac's arms!!

Newark criminal 3 has stolen Isaac's wallet!!!

Newark criminal 1 runs!

Newark criminal 2 runs!

Newark criminal 3 runs!

The group watched the men take off down the street. "How very different the battles here are," Felix mused. "Luckily, I brought my wallet as well, so we have nothing to worry about."

"It's just as well," Isaac said cheerfully. "I had no money in there, just some passwords to some websites on the Internet." 

"What kind of websites?" Mia asked curiously.

Isaac regarded her, and then smiled and said, "You wouldn't understand."

_"Oh, yes I would!_" Mia thought, grinning evilly to herself.

"Well, to the stadium!" Ivan declared.

**********************************************************

The boys cheered wildly as the game raged on. Felix used Teleport Psynergy to get to the concession stand and back quickly, so they didn't go hungry. At one point, when the Nets missed a basket, Ivan stood up and roared, "You gotta dunk that, man! You gotta dunk it!"

"Ivan," Isaac said, reaching up and putting his hand on the younger boy's shoulder, "It'll be all right. Come on, sit down. That's right."

The game was neck-and-neck the whole time, and finally, when there was 10 seconds left on the clock, the game was 96, 94 in favor of the visiting team.

"We have to do something, Isaac," Ivan cried. "The Nets have to win!"

"Don't interfere," Felix warned. 

"It would be best to let it be." Isaac said.

"No!" Ivan shouted, and he leapt down the bleachers and positioned himself by the sidelines. The clock was winding down, and when the Nets went for the three-point shot, (which would clearly have missed,) Ivan used the MOVE Psynergy to guide the ball safely into the basket. The Nets had won!!!

Up in the bleachers, Isaac and Felix were cheering and slapping high fives, while Mia simply sat back and turned her nose up. Suddenly, Ivan began to hear very strange thoughts from the man next to him, who it turned out was the owner of the Nets. The thoughts were: _Damn it! I gave those boys $2 million extra EACH to throw this game! And still they defy me? Oh, once I corner them in that locker room, I tell you…_ Ivan took a few steps backward, and then ran up to his friends. "I think we should leave now."

"I think that's a good idea." Felix agreed, and they hurried out of the stadium, waving their big foam fingers around.

**********************************************************

And now they came to the part that Mia wanted, the movie called _Two Hearts on a Velvet Couch._

"I can't believe we're actually going to see this!" Ivan groaned. "I want to go see _Hellboy_!"

"Sorry, boys, but a deal is a deal!" Mia said happily. She was planning on sitting next to Isaac, because she wanted to tell him exactly how she felt about him, there in the darkness.

"Guy huddle!" Ivan called out, and he drew Felix and Isaac close. "Okay, how does this sound… during the movie, one of us will go down to the front of the theater and fake being in a brutal fight with someone else. Mia, the kind-hearted soul that she is, will come down to break it up. Then, the said party member will dash through the exit door, and she will follow. Then, in her absence, the other two will sneak into the _Hellboy_ theater and wait for the aforementioned party member. Mia will return to the _Two Hearts_ theater distraught, only to find nobody there! And, Bob's your uncle, we see _Hellboy_! What do you say?"

Felix patted Ivan on the back. "It won't be that bad. Besides, you've got to learn to watch chick flicks, if you ever want to go out with Sheba later in life."

Ivan was aghast. "How did you know I liked Sheba?"

Felix shrugged. "She told me. She's a mind reader too, you know, being a Jupiter adept and all."

"And, does she like me also?" Ivan said excitedly.

"…Perhaps…"

"Perhaps? Perhaps what?!"

"Don't yell at me!" Felix cried indignantly.

"I'm not yelling, I just want a straight answer."

Just then, Mia called to them. "Come on, boys, I've got our tickets!" And so the conversation perished.

**********************************************************

In the theater, the arrangements were, from left to right, Mia, Isaac, Felix, and Ivan. The lights dimmed, and the movie began.

_It was autumn, a beautiful autumn day as I reread the letter my love had written to me… As the words ran through my mind, so too did the memories of him, of his touch, his voice, his kiss… how I long for those days to be real again, and to leave the harsh reality I now lived in. It started five years ago, when…_

The movie was romantic right from the beginning, and within the first half hour, Mia had her hand resting on Isaac's knee. Isaac was mildly surprised. He had not known that Mia would display any affection for him, because he assumed she didn't have any. He gently rested his hand on top of hers.

Meanwhile, Ivan was struggling not to gag at the movie. Then he turned to Felix and said, "Okay, Feely, here's the new plan: we stuff ourselves with food from the concession stand until we pass out, and then we don't have to watch the movie! Here's $50, get as much as you can bring back!" Felix stared at Ivan, bewildered. "What are you waiting for? Go! Now!"

"What did you call me?" Felix asked quietly. "Did you call me 'Feely?'"

"Yeah. It's my new nickname for you."

Felix glowered at him. "And here's my nickname for you: Boy who isn't getting anything else from the concession stand due to his insolence!" And he turned back to the movie and slouched down in his seat, arms crossed.

"Okay, how about this then? I'll continue to make myself retch until the usher throws me out for it! How does that sound?" He got no response from Felix. He resigned himself to watching the rest of the movie, flopping back in the chair with a muttering of, "Aw, Mauler poo…"

By this point in the movie, Isaac and Mia's hands were clasped firmly together, and Mia had rested her head on Isaac's shoulder. And yet, since the movie started, they hadn't said a word. Jupiter adepts they were not, but they knew what the other was thinking. They shared a romantic bond in that movie theater, and so it was no surprise when, during the big love scene, Mia gently turned Isaac's face to her and kissed him gently on the lips.

When the kiss was through, Isaac started to speak, but he hadn't gotten past, "Mia, I…" before she shushed him again with another kiss. Then she put her arm around Isaac and rested her head on his shoulder again. This had to be the happiest day of Isaac's life.

Meanwhile, Ivan had been watching the whole thing, and then muttered to himself, "I think now I'm going to retch involuntarily."


	3. And Then We're Gonna Go To The Gap, To G...

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CHAPTER 3

And Then We're Going to Go To Claire's to Get New Clothes, and Then, Like…

Kraden got off the bus with Jenna, Sheba, and Garet in downtown Woodbridge. "This is the best place to get a ride to the beach," Kraden said. "I think there's a bus service down by the police station."

Jenna tugged on his arm. "But Kraden, you said we don't have to go to the lighthouse right away, right?"

"Well, yes… what did you have in mind to do?"

Jenna and Sheba exchanged grins. Then Jenna said to Kraden, "Well, we were kinda thinking of doing some shopping at the mall, maybe. For like, clothes and beauty products and such."

Kraden rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose so."

Garet groaned loudly. "Give me a break!"

Kraden smiled gently. "Come now, Garet, a little shopping expedition won't hurt."

"Hmmph.. Fine, whatever."

"Yes!" Jenna and Sheba said in unison.

*********************************************************

"Let's go to the Gap first," Jenna said, dragging Garet behind her. Sheba ran alongside, struggling to keep in step.

"Wait up, girls!" called Kraden, huffing behind them. "Such energy!"

Finally, they arrived at the Gap. "Are you coming in with us?" Jenna asked.

Garet and Kraden looked at each other, and then Kraden said, "I think we'll wait out here, girls. Those benches look quite comfortable." 

"Suit yourself." she said with a shrug. "Come on, Sheba, let's check out those new t-shirts!" And they disappeared inside.

"Oh, it feels good to rest these bones!" Kraden sighed, sitting down on the bench. Garet joined him. 

"How long do you think they'll be in there?" he asked.

"Oh, a weary while, I'd imagine," Kraden replied. "Ladies love to shop."

"I know." Garet sighed. He cast his eyes around the large mall, until they came to rest on the entrance to Louis Levy's.

"What has captured your sight, boy?" Kraden asked.

"You know, I _do_ need a new hat…" Garet mused. He stood up. "I'll be back in a bit."

*****************************************************

"So what do you think of this one?" Sheba asked, coming out of the dressing room with a new, loose fitting shirt on.

"It looks great on you!" Jenna said, who had just come out of her own dressing room wearing a new outfit consisting of matching baggy pants and a tank shirt. She twirled around. "How do I look?"

"Marvelous!" Sheba said, putting on the accent of one of those old ladies who says "Simply MAHvolous" all the time. "It's SO you!"

"I _KNOW!_" Jenna beamed. "Okay, let's get all these things and go meet Kraden and Garet." They hurriedly took the garments off and put them back on the hangers. They bought the items, and then, carrying three large bags, went back to where Kraden was sitting.

"Where's Garet?" Jenna asked.

"He went to get himself a new hat." Kraden said. "My, you've bought a lot of things!"

"I know!" Sheba gushed. "And we're just getting started." Kraden had an uneasy sense of foreboding. And then, Jenna broke out into hysterical laughter.

Garet had come back, wearing a dark brown, short brimmed hat with a small feather tucked in it. "How do I look, ladies?" he asked pleasantly, tilting it to the side.

5 minutes later, when Jenna and Sheba finally stopped laughing, Jenna said, "Garet, you _really_ shouldn't wear that hat. You _really_ shouldn't."

"Nonsense!" Kraden scoffed. "Why, when I was his age, I had a hat just like it, and it was the talk of the town!"

"Right, when you were _his_ age. Which was how many years ago?" Sheba said.

Kradens eyes narrowed at the 14 year old, but he managed a smile and said, "Well then, let's move on!"

Finally, after four grueling hours of shopping, the group exited the mall with Kraden and Garet saddled with ten different shopping bags.

"We can't very well go to the Mercury Lighthouse with all these bags, now, can we!"

"He's right. What do we do?" Garet asked.

"Allow me to help." said an icy voice. They turned to see an aqua haired youth approaching them.

"Alex?" Jenna said in disbelief. "What… what are you doing here?"

"Ah, well, I needed to do a little shopping, that's all. Here, I shall cast Teleport Psynergy on your things, and they will return to your house in Vale." He did so, and before departed, he looked at Garet, shook his head, and said, "Nice hat." And he was off.

"Well, I think it's time to head for Mercury lighthouse!" Kraden declared, and patting the mythril bag in his pocket, they set out for the bus terminal.


	4. Finding the Next Jupiter Adept

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CHAPTER 4

Finding the Next Jupiter Adept

"Yawn… what a dismal state…" Piers muttered as he gazed out the window of the Raritan Valley Line train. He was zooming by endless swamplands and muddy grass, bordered by factories, old junkyards with long abandoned buildings and trailers in them, and graffiti on just about every wall that still stood. "There's got to be more to this state than _this!_"

The train zoomed past more abandoned buildings and marshland, and Piers fell asleep because there was really nothing more to see. He was jolted awake when the train stopped in the city of Plainfield. "Wow!" he marveled, looking around, "It looks like I've actually find some civilization!" He pulled one of the conductors over. "When do we reach Ellendun?"

"Next stop," the man said cheerfully, then he sized Piers up. "You look like you're from out of town."

Piers leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Where you from, exactly?"

Piers chuckled. "I doubt you'd understand."

The conductor smiled. "Try me."

Piers leaned forward. "All right. I'm from Lemuria, an island in the middle of the Weyarian ocean."

The conductor shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Told ya."

Finally, the train screeched to a halt at Ellendun station. Piers got off and looked around. "Geez, what a town this is." The town was small, only a square mile in area. Along the main street were a pharmacy, a pizza place, a billiard hall called 8 On The Break, and a few general stores. The streets branching off North Ave. were Madison Ave. and Washington Ave.

"Hmm, Kraden said he lived on 6th street," Piers mused. "So, I guess I just take Madison Avenue and start counting the streets." Piers walked West on the main street and prepared to turn onto Madison, but first he stopped at Al's Deli, and came out holding a Little Debbie Fudge Round. "I LOVE these Fudge Rounds!" Piers declared, holding it out in front of him. "Delicious chocolate fudge inside two creamy cookies, and only 25 cents! Look for it at your local general store!" He paused for a moment, and then started the voyage up Madison Avenue.

**********************************************************

I sat on my floor, busily working on my impossible math homework. "So if I need to add two fractions, both the numerator AND denominator of which are both trinomials of the form _Ax^2+bx+c_, then I must first factor all the numerators and denominators. Therefore, I can use any four of the factoring techniques, which include simple Factoring by the _d_ and _e_ method, or I can take the square roots, well I can't because there is an A that is greater than 1... I can complete the square, or I can use the favorite, the Quadratic method! That would be _-b (radical)b^2-4(ac) over 2(a)._ (**A/N: **That was a free math lesson, kids. You college folk should thank me! **F.H.)** All of a sudden, right when I was at the crescendo of my calculating, the doorbell rang.

"Curses!" I roared. "Who disturbs the great Max Hulk when he is doing homework?" I marched to the door and opened it, to reveal a tall man wearing a sea-faring outfit and with long blue hair. I smiled. "Hullo, Piers!" I greeted him.

He seemed quite taken aback. "You know me?"

I smiled broader. "You? Of course, I'd know you anywhere." I held the door open. "Please, come in." He entered, and I said, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uh, just some water, would be fine." he said. He still wasn't used to the fact that I already knew him.

"Water?" I asked playfully, "Don't you see enough of that on your ship?"

He looked at me suspiciously. "What ship?"

"Well you're a Champa pirate, aren't you?"

Piers became quite angry. "I don't know how many times I have to tell everyone, I am NOT a Champa pirate! I'm innocent! Felix and his friends proved it!"

I raised my hands in front of me. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry. Relax. I just haven't gotten that far yet."

"Gotten that far in what?"

I poured him his water. "Oh don't be silly. I know where you're from. You're from that _Golden Sun_ game."

Piers looked at me like I was an idiot. "WHAT???"

"The Game Boy Advance game. _Golden Sun: The Lost Age._ It tells your story." I chuckled as I sat down next to him. "It's a funny thing about that story… Alchemy and all… it's the only video game whose story is actually true. Alchemy is sealed away. Cape May is home to the Jupiter Lighthouse, and I am its guardian."

"So you're the wind adept, then?" Piers asked me.

"I guess so." I said, and I looked outside to see the stray cat near the pond again. I sent a Plasma down a few feet away to send him running into the hedges. "Yes, I guess I am somewhat of an adept."

"Good. That's why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"We need you to help us get through the Cape May Jupiter Lighthouse."

I raised an eyebrow. "Get through it? What for?"

"We have to light it."

I was startled. "Why?"

Piers filled me in on the whole story, about how the four lighthouses of Weyard were already lit, and how they needed to light the two US ones to fully release Alchemy.

"Piers," I said, "You do realize the danger of what you are doing, don't you? If Alchemy is released, countless people will be able to learn Psynergy. Can you imagine if George W. Bush were to learn some attack Psynergy? The results would be disastrous."

Piers chuckled. "Fear not, my old friend, Psynergy only comes to the strong of mind and spirit, not the weak. Or in your man's case, the completely dead." We had a good laugh over that, and then I scratched my head.

"Piers, how can we light the Cape May lighthouse anyway? Do you have the Elemental Star?"

"Yeah, Felix has it. They're heading towards the lighthouse now. Kraden is with the rest of them heading for Point Pleasant. We should get moving right away."

"Wait," I said, as he stood up, "There is something I must know." He looked at me apprehensively, and I continued. "What are the _official_ pairings? I know that fan fiction writers do all kinds, but what is really happening?"

"Well it's like this," Piers said casually, "Isaac and Mia have the hots for each other, Garet likes Jenna but she's indifferent, and Ivan and Sheba want to go out but they're waiting until their older."

"Bless their young hearts!" I cried, looking skyward. "Windshipping at their current age is sooo undesirable."

"Indeed." Piers said. "Come! We must go!"


	5. The Rebirth of Alchemy

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CHAPTER 5

The Rebirth of Alchemy

I successfully led Piers, Isaac, Mia, Ivan, and Felix to the top of the Cape May Jupiter Lighthouse. It wasn't much work, really. The only puzzle to solve was how to break the lock on the door. And so here we were, standing at the very top. Grey clouds had rolled in and covered the sky, and the waves crashed mightily. A fierce wind blew around us, carrying our voices off as we spoke, so much so that we had to shout to be heard.

"Well, I guess this is it!" Isaac shouted over the wind.

"Yes, it is, honey!" Mia agreed, and they began French kissing.

"Knock it off, will you?" Piers complained. They broke the kiss, and Mia said, "Mmm, windy kiss! Yummy!" Issac laughed and snorted. "Ha, you snorted!"

"Can we just move it along?" Felix asked, hugging himself for warmth. "It's freezing cold up here!"

"Right," I said, "Drop the Star into the lighthouse!" Isaac took out the Jupiter star and plunked it down into the base of the lighthouse. All at once, there was a blinding flash of blue light, and the huge ball of light rose from the base and illuminated the area all around us with a brilliant sapphire light.

We all glanced around at each other. Finally, I broke the conversation. "Well, that does it for us. If Kraden and the others are at the Mercury lighthouse now, they will have seen the beacon and know to proceed. Now let's get down from here!" Everyone agreed to that.

*************************************************************

The weather was not much different at the distant shores of Point Pleasant. The wind was, in fact, fiercer, if that's possible.

"It's too cold!" Sheba whined. "And I'm getting soaking wet!"

"Look at my t-shirt!" Jenna wailed. "It's soaking wet and it's clinging to my body! Look at it!"

"No problem," said Garet, and he looked. Jenna whacked him. Garet pouted. He was longing to tell Jenna how attractive he found her, but now, at the end of their quest, it seemed too late.

"Let's get this over with!" Kraden shouted. He didn't hesitate as he removed the Mercury star from the bag and chucked it into the lighthouse. 

All at once, the beacon was flung up from the bottom, striking the roof of the lighthouse, sending sparks and flames showering down upon them. Sheba screamed. The sphere settled into place, but the impact had caused it to go into shock, and it shuddered violently, sending flames and lighting shooting from it. The sky itself became black as pitch, and lightning pierced it every three seconds, with loud thunder. The winds picked up, and that combined with the force the beacon was generating flung all of them, Jenna, Sheba, Kraden, and Garet, high up into the air, their trajectory aiming them far out to sea, where they would surely drown!

"AAAAH!" cried Jenna, hanging onto Garet. "AAAH! WE'RE GONNA DIE! GARET WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

It was a nightmare for Garet, as it surely was for all of them. They were flying through the air towards the churning ocean, in a sky full of lightning and thunder.

They plunged into the icy cold ocean, and Garet knew he was going to die. He managed to gaze up at the lighthouse, and he was horrified to see that the beacon had turned a fiery orange, and flames were raining down from the heavens, and the weeds and grass on the beach had caught fire.

Garet's body was beginning to go numb. Suddenly, he felt a pair of shivering arms around him. It was Jenna.

"G-g-garet…" She sputtered, "We're going to die. Garet? We're going to die."

"I know, Jenna." He said, tears streaming down his eyes. He held onto her for dear life. "Jenna, before we die… I need to tell you that I love you."

She remained silent and continued to shiver.

"I always have," he continued, "But I was never brave enough to tell you. But I'm going to be brave for both of us today."

"I'm brave too," Jenna said. "I'm not afraid to die. Ohh, Garet!" she kissed him, her lips freezing cold. "Garet, I love you! I'm sorry I never knew…" Jenna's body was beginning to fail, and her head started to slip under the water.

"Jenna, no!" Garet cried, but just then, the waves began to churn more violently, and Jenna was tossed away from him. "JENNA NO!!!" He tried to swim, but the water was too cold. He was drowning. He began to slip under the water. "Goodbye, Jenna," he whispered, "Goodbye." He went under. His senses began to fail. His eyes went dark. He waited, for he knew soon he would see a warm white light, welcoming him. There he would dwell with Jenna, and…

Suddenly, he felt himself rising out of the water, and moving through it at remarkable speed. He spit up water, and realized that he was floating on a Styrofoam boogie board. He looked upward to see none other than Alex, standing on it, guiding it.

"Surf's up," he said simply with a small smile. "Hang on tight."

Garet spoke the first word that came to his mind. "Jenna! Jenna!"

"She'll be along," Alex said smoothly, and Garet noticed that Alex was directing three other boards, on which were the limp forms of Jenna, Kraden, and Sheba. In a matter of moments, they were all safely on the beach. Alex cast Pure Ply on all of them, and one by one they woke.

"Uhhh, Alex…?" Sheba moaned. "Did you save us?"

"It would appear so," he replied, dusting himself off.

"But why?" Kraden asked, still unable to stand.

"Why not?" Alex shrugged. "After all, you _did_ fulfill my dream of re-releasing Alchemy. It was the least I could do in return."

"Where did you get the boogie boards?"

Alex smiled and shook his head. "My, my, how we forget. I went shopping this afternoon, remember?"

"Oh…" Garet spit up water again. Suddenly, a voice echoed across the beach. "GARET!!!"

Garet looked up. "Isaac!" Isaac's group was running across the sand towards them. "Isaac, thank God!"

"Are you all right?" Piers called. "I thought I saw you fall in the ocean!"

"We did," Sheba said, standing up. "But Alex saved us."

Alex shrugged. "As I said, it was the least I could do."

"Who is he?" Jenna asked, pointing to me.

"This is Max Hulk," Isaac said.

"Charmed, I'm sure," I said, shaking each of their hands. Then I looked at the sky, which had ceased to be stormy and was now becoming clear and star studded. "Well then! Looks like we've pulled it off!"

"Yes, it is most wonderful!" Exclaimed Kraden, jumping for joy. "We've finally released Alchemy!"

"But how do we use it? Don't we have to use it to save Weyard and keep Psynergy alive?" As if to answer her question, a glittering stone appeared before each one of us, and landed in our palms.

"Those are the Sage Stones." Alex said. "Right now at this moment, each good-hearted adept has received one. You may wish upon that stone, and it will be granted. Use it only for good, however, or there will be terrible retribution."

"Where is yours, Alex?" I asked.

Alex smiled and shook his head. "My heart was not so pure some time ago. As a result, I must earn my sage stone by doing good deeds."

"Boy that sounds classic." Sheba muttered. While this was happening, Garet and Jenna were sheltering each other in their arms. "Ooh, somebody's in _love!_" Sheba jeered.

"That's right, Sheba," said Jenna, and she looked at Garet's handsome face and kissed him. "Someday, it will happen to you." Sheba suddenly caught Ivan's gaze, and they smiled at each other shyly.

"Ah, love." Alex sighed, allowing his gaze to drift over to Mia, who was holding hands with Isaac. It was clear to him that the past was over. He changed the subject. "Why don't you all make your first wish? I do believe you deserve it."

"I don't know if they should," Kraden said. "I think they would need a lot of time to think before making a wish."

"I have a wish!" Felix declared. He gazed into the stone. "I wish that Saturos and Menardi, my guardians and friends, were here to see the rebirth of Alchemy."

_"Oh, but we are!"_ said an echoing voice.

Felix turned around. "It cannot be!" Saturos and Menardi stood on the beach before him, bathed in eerie white light. They wore not their usual attire, but flowing white robes. They wore kind smiles on their faces.

_"Felix," _Saturos said, gliding over to him, _"You have made us proud, Felix. You have fulfilled our dream."_

_"We are sorry we could not help you further, dear Felix,"_ said Menardi, _"But things did not exactly work out. Just remember that we loved you like a son. We still do. May good things only happen to you from now on."_

The figure of Saturos now turned to Isaac. Isaac feared that some horrible phrase of hatred or condemnation would be flung from Saturos's mouth, but to his surprise, the Proxian smiled, glided over, and said, _"Isaac… All is forgiven. You were right in believing that you had to stop us."_

"If we had obtained the Sage Stones, it would have only brought misfortune." said Menardi. _"We had bad intentions for the use of the power, and all of Weyard would have suffered. You and your brave friends prevented that disaster."_

"We are proud of you and your friends as well, Isaac," Saturos continued. _"It is because of you that the good Adepts now have the power to restore balance and order to the world. We will never forget what you have done!"_

Isaac bowed. "Thank you, Saturos. I am glad we could end on good terms."

Saturos smiled, and then he took Menardi's hand, and they walked out towards the ocean and disappeared.

The group stood under the stars for several minutes, thinking things over, wondering what to do next. Isaac and Mia had their arms around each other, Jenna and Garet held hands. Sheba stood next to Ivan, catching his gaze every now and then, and smiling.

"I believe celebrations are in order," Alex said after a bit. "Let's go to Atlantic City."

"What's that?" Garet asked.

"It's a large, well-lit city in south Jersey that features multiple varieties of games of chance. Card games, slot machines, and the like. Come, we shall have a good time."

They unanimously agreed. Then Isaac asked, "How will we get there?"

"I have a car." Alex said as they began walking up the beach.

"What is a car?" Kraden asked.

"It is a motorized transportation device. It runs on gasoline."

"Incredible! You must let me study it later!"

"Yes, yes, you may tinker around under the hood all you like in due time."

"It wears a hood?" Kraden asked, fascinated. Alex shook his head and kept silent.

Garet caught up with Isaac. "Hey, buddy," he said.

"Yo, Garet," Isaac said quietly.

"Hey this is… quite a thing we did tonight, isn't it?"

Isaac looked up at his friend and smiled. "Yeah."

Garet held out his fist. "Buds for life?"

Isaac gave him the pound. "Buds for life!"

Garet cast his gaze left and right, then pulled out his sage stone. "We're going gambling tonight, right? Well…" he held up the stone. "May the odds be in our favor tonight." The stone glowed and faded. Then they continued to walk up the beach to Alex's car. "Hey maybe I'll buy Jenna a Cadillac after tonight," Garet thought. Isaac laughed and punched him in the shoulder. They all got into the car, Alex switched on the headlights, and drove south down the long and winding Garden State Parkway.

****

THE END!!!

© 2004 PDG Network in association with the St. Eva Church.

**__**

BENEDICTION: So what did you think, everyone? Pretty good? Pretty funny? Not so good? Let me know! I think it went quite well, in my own opinion. But it's not my opinion that counts, is it? Hehehe. So, until we meet again, FAREWELL! *Uses RETREAT Psynergy.*


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